Oct 18, 2018

Sports Equinox has arrived

Axios

Illustration: Rebecca Zisser/Axios

You're living through history: This is the 18th time that the four major sports leagues (NFL, NHL, NBA and MLB) are in action on the same day, Sports Internet's Kendall Baker notes.

  • Bonus: Major League Soccer and college football are also on air tonight.

The big picture: More than ever, America's past-times are (sometimes) serving as a respite from our charged politics, and today offers something for everyone.

Driving the news:

  • NBA: Chicago v. Philadelphia, Miami v. Washington, Los Angeles Lakers v. Portland
  • NHL: There are nine games tonight
  • MLB: Boston v. Houston
  • NFL: Denver v. Arizona

Between the lines: "There was a 16-year period (1985-2001) without a single sports equinox," Baker notes. "But now that Thursday Night Football is a fixture, the World Series starts later, and the NBA season starts earlier, they're much more frequent."

  • The luckiest city in America: Los Angeles, which could match Phoenix's 2001 mark for having all four major pro sports teams playing on the same day... if the Dodgers make it to Game 5 of the World Series on Oct. 28.

The bottom line: Buckle up and grab the remote.

P.S. "The N.B.A. announced Thursday that beginning next year, select players would be able to earn $125,000 to play in its development league, the G League, for a year before entering the N.B.A. draft." [NYT]

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